127 

16 fl 8 frtith is stranger than fiction . ' ' 



py 1 




River Niagara. 



DESCRIPTIVE 

AND 

HISTORICAL. 



PAN-AMERICAN EDITION. 



^^ 





< 

< 



" Till! It is straiiiicr tliaii ficlion." 



THE 



RIVER NIAGARA. 



DESCRIPTIVE 

AND 

HISTORICAL. 



PAN-AMERICAN EDITION 



By BARTON ATKINS, 



BUFFALO, N. Y. 
iSqq. 



fill 



Copyright, 1899, by Barit)n An kins. 



J^J^f 



^0 




-iS' 



MADE IN 

THE COMIM.ETE ART- 1 KINTINC > WORKS 

OF 

THE MAITHEWS-NOUI HKL'I' CO., 

lU'KKALO, N. V. 

18'JSO 






THE RIVER NIAGARA 



CHAPTER 1 

>S EARLY HISTORY. 

T^HE Pan-American Exposition is located on the 

l)order of the most wonderful and renowned 

fresh-water course on the globe. The eventful 

history of the Niagara River is in keeping with the 

majestic wonders of Nature there ]jresented. 

The wonderful Niagara I flowing from Lake Erie 
to Lake Ontario, prior to LS2;j (when was opened 
the Erie Canal), was the gateway to western empire 
and civilization, a prominent factor in the settle- 
ment of a region now of vast expanse and popula- 
tion, and of unlimited resources. This writing is 
descriptive of the famous river, of its historic locali- 
ties, and of the imjjortant events occurring thereon 
and thereby, on the march to civilization and settle- 
ment. 

The region was first known to the civilized world 
through the report of James Cartier, a French navi- 
gator, who, in ir)34, discovered and explored the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

Cartier was told, by the natives, that the big river 
flowing into the Gulf came from a big lake far in the 



6 The Niagara River. 

interior, and at the end of the lake, another big 
river flowed therein, and in that river there was a 
mighty waterfall, but beyond that, they knew noth- 
ing. Cartier explored the St. Lawrence, before 
returning to France, as far as the present city of 
Montreal ; and in his report to his government is 
first mentioned the existence of the river Niagara 
and its cataract — so far as history tells. 

The disclosures of Cartier stimulated the zeal of 
Jesuit missionaries and fur-traders, who, after a long 
interval, penetrated the vast water course and the 
wilderness adjacent thereto. Prior to the close of 
the sixteenth century, these adventurers were estab- 
lished on the lower St. Lawrence, and early in the 
seventeenth century Champlain, on the borders of 
Lake Ontario, was warring the native Iroquois, in 
order to establish the colony of New^ France. In 
1(569 came the intrepid explorer, Robert Cavelier 
de La Salle, who penetrated Lake Ontario unto its 
western extremity, to Burlington Bay, where he 
held a conference with the Indians, on the spot 
where is novv the City of Hamilton. From thence 
La Salle returned easterly, to the mouth of the 
(xenesee River, through which water course he 
crossed the jjresent State of New York, and beyond, 
reaching a "large river," sui)posed to have been the 
Ohio. 

La Salle's account of that expedition does not 
state that he then entered the river Niagara. 



Early History. 7 

Ten years later, La Salle returned to Lake 
Ontario, and, on a small vessel of ten tons, sailed 
into the mouth of the big river, called by the natives 
Niah-gaah. Such orthography was changed to 
Niagara by the PVench, in 1688. History does not 
record that white men entered the Niagara River 
prior to La Salle. 

The little vessel ascended the river for seven miles, 
unto the lower rapids, where her progress was inter- 
rupted. At the foot of the rapids, on the east bank 
of the river, La Salle constructed a cabin surrounded 
by a palisade, a store house — his base of supplies 
for his projected expedition to explore the great 
inland waters beyond. La Salle's structure was 
erected where is now Lewiston Landing, and the 
locality has the distinction of being the first foot- 
hold of white men on the borders of the Niagara. 

With La Salle was Father Hennepin, who made 
an exploration of the river unto Lake Erie, and gave 
to history the first description of the great cataract 
thereon. The river is believed to have been trav- 
ersed by Jesuit missionaries as early as 1640, though 
no account thereof was made known to history. 

Five miles above the cataract La Salle constructed 
a larger vessel, the historic Griffon, with which he 
and Hennepin, on August 7, 1679, sailed into Lake 
Erie ; the first vessel, other than canoes, and, ])er- 
haps, the batteaux of the missionaries, to float on 
the great waters above the Falls of Niagara. 



8 The Niagara River. 

The Niagara Frontier, in early time, was a 
dark and bloody ground of savage warfare. The 
region was for a long period peaceably occupied 
by the Neuter Nation, but the more powerful 
nation of Iroquois coveted their grand hunting and 
fishing ground, and, to obtain possession thereof, 
waged a war of extermination against the occupants, 
ending with their utter annihilation. 

Later on the region was the scene of bloody strife 
between the forces of France and England, each 
with savage allies, in furtherance of their frantic 
schemes of American colonization ; and, subse- 
quently, of the heroic battles between American and 
British forces in the war of 1812. 



The River and Islands. 9 

CHAPTER II. 

THE RIVER AND ISLANDS. 

T N its immense water-flow, its grand scenery and 
historic lore, the Niagara is one of the most re- 
nowned rivers of the world. The single outlet of 
the great inland seas : lakes Superior, Huron, Mich- 
igan, St. Clair and Erie, together with their hundreds 
of tributary streams, comprising a water surface of 
500,000 square miles, more than one-half the fresh 
water of the globe, must justify such distinction. 
On its course from Lake Erie, for three miles, the 
river is only one-half mile in width, varying in 
depth from twenty to forty feet, and with a current 
flowing nine miles per hour over a rock bottom. At 
the end of this distance the shores recede, until 
reaching a width (measuring across Grand Island) 
of eight miles from shore to shore. Here the flow 
of waters is more peaceful, yet diligently the large 
volume glides along to its precipitous leap. Two 
miles above the Falls, where the river is about two 
miles wide, the flood of waters commence, between 
contracting shores, a wild rush for the cataract, 
thus increasing its velocity to fifteen miles per hour 
before taking its awful plunge. From that point 
to the verge of the falls, the descent is fifty-seven 
feet, and then a perpendicular fall of 164 feet 
into the boiling abyss below. These two miles of 










u 

CD 



c 



< 



c 
< 



The River and Islands. 11 

rapids are an important feature of the wonders of 
Niagara, the foam-crested breakers dashing and 
leaping twenty feet above the main current. The 
raging waters roar, hiss and boil in endless agony, 
forming a scene awing to the beholder. 

The two views of the Falls herein displayed are 
of ancient origin, being taken from a sketch made 
in 1795, by Duke de Liancourt, a French savant, 
then a pilgrim to Niagara. His description of the 
cataract is quaint reading. An extract is appended : 

"There it falls in one dense awful mass of green 
waters, unbroken and resistless ; here it is broken 
into drops, and falls like a sea of diamonds sparkling 
in the sun. Now it shoots forth like rockets in end- 
less succession, and now it is so light and foaming 
that it dances in the sun as it goes. Then there is 
the deep expanding ])ool below, where the waters 
pitch in agitation and foam, and beyond the waters 
spread out like a ri])pling sea of alabaster. 

"This last feature is perfectly unique, and one 
would think nothing could add to its loveliness ; but 
there lies upon it, as if they were made for each 
other, 'Heaven's own bow.' O, never in heaven 
itself had it so fair a resting place. 

"Above and overhanging me was Table Rock, 
while immediately before me was spread, in all its 
height and majesty, the unspeakable cataract itself; 
seeming to fall direct from heaven, and rushing to 
the earth with a weight and voice that made the 



12 The Niagara River. 

rocks around me fairly tremble. The power, the sub- 
limity, the beauty, the ])liss of the scene — it cannot 
be told." 

Some three score years ago a pilgrim to Niagara 
was inspired in manner partially as follows : 

Hail ! thee — Colossal Flood ! thy majesty and might 
Amazes — then enraptures — then o'erawes the sight ; 
The glare of lordly kings, in every clime and zone, 
Is dim beneath the splendor of thy o'erpour'ng throne. 
No hindrance to thy lusty flow, no power bids thee stay, 
Onward — ever onward — thy current holds its way ; 
The rising mists that veil thee — thy grand overpour, 
Proclaim thee — Creation's Wonder ! with an endless roar. 
Thy diadem — an emerald green — of the rarest, purest hue, 
Set on waves of snowy foam and spray of fleeting dew ; 
Tresses of the brightest pearls adorn thy stately sheet, 
The rainbow lays its radiant gems in homage at thy feet. 

-x- =x * * * * * 

If mountains are as naught in the hollow of Thy hand. 
If continents, in Thy balance, are but grains of sand ; 
If Niagara is so very great, to us who lowly bow, 
O, Creator ! of all, how surpassing great art Thou ! 

For seven miles below the Falls the river courses 
through a deep gorge, about 800 feet wide, lined by 
towering walls, the tops of which are on a level with 
the river banks above the cataracts. At the foot of 
the gorge is Lewiston, where the river again ex- 
pands, and from thence peacefully flows seven miles 
further to Lake Ontario. For nearly two miles 
below the Falls the current is sluggish, with a depth 
of 250 feet. Then, again, the flood rushes on with 



The River and Islands. 13 

appalling velocity down a channel, between high 
walls, not more than 700 feet wide at several points. 
The sublime grandeur of the scene confuses human 
comprehension. When gazing upon the angry flood 
through this portion of the gorge, an unequaled 
scene is presented. At some points in its mad rush, 
the pent-up current piles up in the middle of the 
stream, nine feet higher than at the edge. Nowhere 
in the world are waters more turbulent. 

' ' impetuously, 



The raging waters sweep ; 

They come in their sublimity, 

Descending leap o'er leap. 

In wrath and roar they rush along, 

Through cragged rocks they flow ; 

Madly roaring down it comes, 

It boils, and foams, and thunders through..'" 

The descent of the river from Lake Erie to Lewis- 
ton, seven miles below the Falls, is about 336 feet. 
From the lake to the cataract, the descent is eighty- 
seven feet ; then a perpendicular fall of 1G4 feet ; 
froni thence, through the gorge to Lewiston, seven 
miles, the fall is about eighty-six feet. When con- 
templating the vast source of water supply, the 
immensity of the flow will be justified. Of the 
quantity of water passing over the Falls, estimates 
have been made by several scientists. Professor 
Lyell says, fifteen hundred millions of cubic feet 
every minute. Dr. Dwight estimates that over one- 




Gorge Rai'ids,— From a Pliotograph. 



The River and Islands. 15 

hundred millions of tons passes over the horseshoe 
fall every hour. 

It is estimated that at the center of the horseshoe 
cataract, and for a distance above, the water is at 
least twenty feet deep. Such estimate was confirmed 
in 1829, when the schooner Z^^Y/w'/ passed over that 
point. The bottom of the vessel was broken in the 
rapids above, when the hull became water-logged, 
and sunken decks to, necessarily drawing eighteen 
feet. Nevertheless, for a distance above, and over the 
brink, the wreck met no obstruction, passing freely 
over. The Detroit was a prize of Perry's victory ! 
Having been naturalized amid the booming of big 
guns, she served as an iVmerican merchantman some 
fifteen years, and then was sold for an exhibition. 

The islands of the river, including islets in the 
rapids above the cataracts, are about forty in number. 
First in course is Squaw Island, containing 131 
acres ; then Strawberry Island, about 100 acres. 
Then comes Grand Island, commencing five miles 
below Lake Erie, and extending to within three 
miles of the Falls, containing 17,384 acres of well- 
timbered and productive land. Flanking Grand 
Island are Beaver Island, thirty acres ; Rattlesnake, 
forty-five acres ; Buckhorn, 145 acres; Tonawanda 
Island, sixty acres ; and Navy Island, 300 acres. 
Below, near the American shore, is Cayuga Island, 
100 acres. Of these, Beaver, Navy and Cayuga are 
timbered, and have good soil. 




The Horseshoe Cataract, Canadian Side, — From 
a Sketch Made in 1795. 



The River and Islands. 17 

Goat, properly Iris, Island divides the Falls into 
separate sheets. It is about half a mile long, and 
about half the distance in width ; containing seventy- 
five acres of timbered land. Situated between chan- 
nels of wild rapids, and flanked on either side by 
the most majestic cataracts in the world, it is, be- 
yond question, the most picturesque, fascinating and 
romantic spot of earth on the globe. Visitors are 
reluctant to depart therefrom, and are wont to muse 
with Montgomery : 

" If God hath made this world so fair, 
Where sin and death abound ; 
How beautiful beyond compare, 
Will Paradise ! be found." 



18 The Niagara River. 



i>' 



CHAPTER 111. 

HISTORIC rOINTS. 

'PORT Niagara was originally constructed as a 
defensive work, in 1686, by the Marquis De 
Nonville, a French military officer. La Salle erected 
two block-houses on the site in 1678, which, how- 
ever, were burned soon after. The fortification has 
in turn been occupied by the French, English and 
Americans. Some of the ancient structures erected 
by the French still exist. The location is one of the 
most beautiful and eligible for the purpose in all 
America. In the promotion of western discovery, 
civilization and settlement, as a base, the fort was of 
great importance ; and during two centuries of time 
it was coveted in war, and in intrigue with the 
native savages. 

Opposite Fort Niagara is the pleasant village of 
Niagara-on-the-Lake, once called Newark ; and a 
short distance above, on the river bank, is Fort 
George, a defensive work constructed in 1798. 
Fort George was besieged and captured by the 
Americans in 1813. Six miles above, on the Cana- 
dian side, is Queenston, where a desperate battle 
between British and American forces was fought, 
July 25, 1814. In this engagement the British 
General Brock, a valorous officer, was killed. There, 
on a bold prominence, stands his majestic monu- 



Historic Points. 19 

ment, visible from many miles surrounding. This 
shore is hallowed ground. In fact, the west bank of 
the river, all the way to Fort Erie, is extremely 
picturesque and interestingly historic. Over this 
highway both armies of the war of 1812 marched 
and countermarched to the strains of martial music, 
each, in turn, to triumph, and on retreat. On the 
American side, opposite Queenston, is Lewiston, 
celebrated as the white man's first foothold on the 
Niagara Frontier above Lake Ontario. 

Three miles above Lewiston is the Devils Hole, a 
deep gorge, penetrating, at right angles, the high 
wall of the river. It is 150 feet deep, with perpen- 
dicular walls. Here, in 1763, was enacted a 
horrible tragedy. A wagon-train conveying military 
supplies, consisting of twenty or more wagons, was 
attacked by five or six hundred Indians, who 
pillaged the train and threw the horses, oxen and 
wagons over the bank, and massacred all but two of 
the drivers and escorts. Hearing of the affray, the 
garrison at Lewiston, consisting of two companies 
of troops, hastened to the scene. On their arrival 
the savages were in ambush, and all but a half dozen 
of the soldiers were killed, some by musket balls, 
some by the tomahawk, and some by being driven 
over the bank to certain death on the bottom rocks. 
Eighty scalps were the trophies of the savages. 

Three miles above the cataract, on the American 
shore, is the historic landing. Fort Schlosser, 




in 

00 



O 
2 

D 
Z 

< 






O 

M 



Historic Points. 21 

originally named Fort dii Page, by the French, and 
subsequently, Little Fort, by the British, and was 
finally given its modern name, for Captain Joseph 
Schlosser, a German serving in the British army on 
the frontier, in 1759. The landing is further noted 
as the place where the steamboat Caroline was cut 
out and sent flaming over the Falls, December 29, 
1837. The locality is now the site of extensive 
electric works, and named Echota. 

On the opposite shore, abreast of Fort Schlosser, 
is the quaint town of Chippewa, a noted battle- 
ground of the war of 1812. The village contains a 
number of old buildings erected in the eighteenth 
century. 

On the American shore, under the shelter of 
Cayuga Island, in 1679, La Salle constructed the 
Griffon, the pioneer vessel of western civilization. 
The river and island scenery there presented is yet 
the same as when the historic vessel was launched 
220 years ago. 

Still another famous locality is Perry's Shipyard, 
under the shelter of Squaw Island. Here, in 1813, 
were constructed three vessels, to add to the fleet 
building at Presque Isle. 

The old ferry to Fort Erie was an early enterprise. 
Early voyagers mentioned its existence at the time 
of the Revolution. Until the advent of the horse - 
boat, in 1825, the ferry was supplied with scows 
pro])elled by sweeps, wielded by lusty watermen. 



22 The Niagara River. 

The illustration, a reproduction of an old print 
published in 1816, shows the landing on the Ameri- 
can side, where now is the Front. 

An historic institution is the ferry across the Niag- 
ara to Fort Erie. Could it relate its history, inter- 
esting interviews would be in order. 



The IV ar at Buffalo. 23 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE WAR AT BUFFALO. 

/~^N June 26, 1812, a messenger from Washington 
arrived on the frontier with intellisfence that 
war had been declared against Great Britain. The 
American schooner Coiiiiecticiit, in ignorance of the 
fact, was then at anchor off the mouth of Buffalo 
Creek, awaiting a fair wind to depart up the lake. 
In the afternoon the schooner was approached by 
two rowboats filled with armed Canadians, who 
seized the vessel and moved her to a position 
covered by the guns of Fort Erie. 

This was the first hostile demonstration of the 
war on the Niagara frontier. Then, batteries and 
earthworks were thrown up on both banks of the 
river. Above the mouth of Scajaquada Creek was 
the Sailors' Battery, where were mounted three 32- 
pounders. One-half mile above this was another 
battery of three guns. Below the present site of 
Fort Porter was Fort Tompkins, a larger fortification. 
Just above Fort Tompkins was a mortar battery, 
armed with an eight-inch mortar. This historic 
implement of war now^ poses, fitly inscribed, near 
the monument in Lafayette Park ; accompanied by 
two British cannon captured with the brig Adams, in 
a conflict hereafter described. On the ninth of Oc- 
tober, Lieut. Elliott, a naval officer assigned to 
the frontier with Perry, stood on the river bank, 



24 The Niagara River. 

where now is Fort Porter, watching a vessel approach- 
ing from the lake. Near by Elliott stood the famous 
Seneca Chief, Farmers Brother, also with eyes on 
the vessel. 

Then the new arrival anchored nigh unto the 
British brig-of-war Adams, moored under the guns 
of Fort Erie. The stranger was the British schooner 
Caledonia, with a cargo of furs from Lake Huron. 
Farmers Brother, ever loyal to the Americans, said 
to Elliott, when pointing to the two vessels, "You 
take 'em, got furs, plenty. You take boats, soldiers, 
plenty, night, dark, you take 'em." 

The lieutenant grasped the suggestion of the old 
chief with enthusiasm, and at once took action. 
Applying to Capt. Towson of the army for a force 
of men, that officer readily entered into the scheme. 
At one o'clock in the morning four boats, filled with 
armed men, left the American shore, two under the 
direction of Towson, and the two others under 
Elliott. The night was rainy and dark. Making a 
detour well above the unsuspecting enemy, they 
allowed the boats to silently drift down the current 
upon the vessels. Simultaneously they were boarded, 
and before their sleeping force was half awakened 
the Americans had possession of the vessels, had slipt 
their cables, and had them under sail for the Ameri- 
can shore. Fifty-eight prisoners were captured, 
including three officers ; and thirty-eight American 
prisoners, confined on the brig Adams, were recap- 
tured. With the expedition were three citizen 



The War at Buffalo. 25 

volunteers : Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, Guy J. Atkins 
and James Sloan. The two latter navigated the 
vessels after their capture. 

In 1812 Buffalo was a frontier hamlet of about 
500 people, and one hundred buildings. These 
were scattered along on what is now Main Street 
from the Terrace up to the present Goodell Street. 
Then the Terrace was a sandy bluff, between w^iich 
and the creek stretched a morass with a riotous 
growth of bushes and rank grasses. The lake, river, 
and Canada shore at Fort Erie were in plain view 
from the sand bluff. From other directions a dense 
forest crowded the hamlet. 

When war came it brought dire calamity to the 
village of Buffalo. Its inhabitants were compelled 
to flee from the flames of their burning homes in 
mid-winter to find shelter in adjacent settlements. 
With the exception of two buildings, their village 
was in ashes. The following account of the burn- 
ing, recently published for the first time, is a concise 
and conservative statement : 

"When Gen. Wilkinson, in 1818, retired to 
lower Lake Ontario, he left Gen. McClure in com- 
mand of the force on the Niagara, who made his head- 
quarters at Fort George, from whence he issued 
flaming proclamations, and when abandoning that 
position committed the needless cruelty of burning 
the adjacent village of Newark, thereby turning 
helpless families out into winter's cold and snow. 
The inhuman act brought condign punishment on 



26 The Niagara River. 

the American frontier. Then McCkire took up 
headquarters in Buffalo. The British, lired with the 
spirit of revenge, undertook reprisals. The whole 
riverside from Lewiston to Tonawanda Creek was 
devastated by the British and their allied savages. 
During the three weeks following the destruction of 
Newark, six American villages were burned, together 
with all the scattered homes the avengers could find. 
Gen. McClure called for volunteers to rally for the 
defense of Buffalo, and then went to Batavia and 
gave up the command to Gen. Hall, who hurried on 
to Buffalo such available force as he could find, 
where he arrived December 25th, and did all he could 
to repel the invaders. The tale has often been told 
how small detachments of Americans were in turn 
thrown against the enemy, and in turn demoralized ; 
how the British landed at Black Rock and marched 
up to the doomed village, dispersing such resistance 
as they met. Then followed a scene which passes 
description. The few roads leading out from the 
burning hamlet were thronged with a motely crowd, 
all hurrying as fast as possible from the revengeful 
enemy, wath terror blanching every face." 

Such was the result of the unnecessary destruction 
of the Canadian village by Gen. McClure on his 
evacuation of Fort George ; and who then and there 
disgraced the uniform of an American officer in so 
doing. A true soldier would have shrunk from such 
wanton cruelty. 



Battle of Scajaquada Creek. 27 

. CHAPTER V. 

BATTLE OF SCAJAQUADA CREEK. 

T N the summer of 1814, Fort Erie was garrisoned 
by American troops, under Brig. -Gen. Gains. 
On August 3d, Gen. Drummond marched his 
British regulars, 3,000 strong, from the garrisons 
at Chippewa and Fort George, up the west bank of 
the Niagara, to storm the fort. On his arrival, the 
British commander learned that the works were 
manned secure against a coi/p de main, which caused 
him to resort to an investment. An expedition to 
seize military stores, and destroy magazines at Buf- 
falo, consisting of a strong force under Col. 
Tucker, was thrown across the river, landing below 
the mouth of Scajaquada Creek, with orders to 
cross before daybreak, and then strike for the sup- 
plies and magazines. Gen. Brown, anticipating 
such a purpose, had withdrawn Maj. Morgan, with 
his force of riflemen, from Fort Erie, and had them 
stationed at Black Rock, to watch the movements 
of the enemy. Morgan descried the British ap- 
proaching, and moved his men to the south bank 
of the Scajaquada, removed the planking from the 
bridge spanning the stream, and there awaited the 
enemy. 

When the raiding force arrived they found the 
bridge of no avail, and the stream unfordable. 



28 The Niagara River. 

When attempting to repair the bridge, the enemy 
received a warm reception from the riflemen, causing 
them to fall back on the line, and then, for upwards 
of an hour, a hot battle ensued. 

In the mean time Tucker had dispatched a strong 
force on a left flank, to ford the creek higher up 
stream. Morgan met this force at the ford with a 
like detachment, where a fierce combat took place, 
ending with the recoil of the enemy, and retire- 
ment to their main body. 

Having in two attempts failed to cross the creek, 
the enemy gathered their dead and wounded and 
hastily retreated to their boats, and returned to the 
west side of the river. 

There were a number of sharp encounters on the 
banks of the Scaja(}uada during the war, the above - 
described being the last of the series — the farewell 
engagement. 

The Scajaquada ! The historic water - course 
named for an historic chieftain ; whose lone cabin 
marked its bank prior to the footprints of the white 
man. The word is of Iroquois dialect and signifies 
isolation — ''away from the multitude." Rever- 
ently the stream observes simplicity, as yet, its lone- 
liness is unbroken, quietly it winds the monumental 
slopes of Forest Lawn. Then, on its way to the 
Niagara, it courses the picturesc^ue grounds of the 
Pan-American Exposition. 



The Siege of Fort Erie. 29 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE SIEGE OF FORT ERIE. 

^T^HE account here given of the battles of Fort 
Erie is based on the reports to Congress of the 
then Secretary of War, December, 1814. 

On the 12th of x'\ugust, Gen. Drummond's de- 
fensive and offensive measures being completed, 
he, on the morning of the 13th, began his attack on 
the fort by a heavy cannonade. This was continued 
until the evenins: of the 14th, without material 
damage to the works. 

The American commandant concluded that an 
assault would be made during the night, it being 
rainy and very dark. Accordingly, he made such 
disposition of his comparatively small force, as 
would best enable him to repel it. 

About two o'clock in the morning a heavy column of 
the enemy was found approaching Towson's battery, 
when the well directed discharges therefrom, aided 
by a shower of musketry, compelled the British to 
fall back. A second attempt on the same point met 
a like result. Then the enemy made a flank move- 
ment on the water side of the fort, and here the 
movable part of the defence, under Wood and 
Ripley, met the attack and decisively repulsed it, 
the falling enemy drifting away with the current — 
those who were wading the stream. At this junc- 



30 The Niamra River 



^' 



ture, the enemy's central column was pressing for- 
ward on the line of entrenchment connecting the 
batteries of Tovvson and Williams ; but, though 
making vigorous effort, they were checked by the 
fire of Biddle's and Fanning's artillery, sustained by 
a regiment of rifles, and Porter's volunteers. 

While such were the failures of the enemy, in the 
next assault, after two repulses in which the enemy 
suffered great loss, they at last got possession of this, 
one of the outer bastions of the fort. The enemy's 
force first entering the bastion was led by Col. 
Drummond, a relative of the general in command, a 
brave, but inhuman officer. As the enemy rushed 
in, Drummond, w^ho was in the lead, shouted 
"Charge, give the Yankees no quarter." His 
followers rushed upon the Americans and a hand-to- 
hand conflict ensued. Williams and Macdonough 
were wounded. They asked for quarter, but Drum- 
mond refused, emptying his pistol into Mac- 
donough' s body. Then an American infantryman, 
who witnessed the act, shot Drummond through the 
heart, and he was a dead man, while his victim, 
Macdonough, yet lingered in life. A few moments 
later a terrific explosion occurred within the bastion 
occupied by the enemy, blow^ing the structure into 
the air, and killing or maiming most of those inside. 
The cause of the explosion was generally attributed 
to the dying Macdonough, who, to avenge his 
wanton murder, threw a torch into a large magazine 



The Siege of Fort Erie. ^\ 

chest standing near where he was shot down. Soon 
after the explosion, the enemy retired to their 
entrenchments, and the combat ended ; but leaving 
on the field 220 dead and 174 wounded; 186 
of the enemy were made prisoners. Though defeated 
in his attempt to carry the fort by storm, the British 
commander, adhering to his purpose of reducing it, 
was opening new" trenches, and establishing addi- 
tional batteries. 

At the battle of Lundy's Lane, in July previous, 
Gen. Brown and Gen. Scott were wounded. Gen. 
Brow^n had so far recovered from his wound that 
he hastened to Fort Erie, and again, on the 2d 
of September, assumed command of the American 
forces on the frontier. 

During the four weeks ensuing, both combatants 
were strengthening their positions, and augmenting 
their forces for the final struggle. The enemy had 
been materially reinforced, and had constructed 
additional batteries and trenches. The Americans 
were reinforced by a column of militia recruited in 
Buffalo by Gen. Porter. The enemy delaying an 
attack. Gen. Brown, though with an inferior force, 
determined to storm the enemy's position accord- 
ing to plans submitted by Gen. Porter. 

On the 18th, the Americans were formed into 
double columns of attack ; that of the left, com- 
posed of Porter's volunteers, Gibson's riflemen, and 
the remains of the 1st and 23d regiments of infantry 



32 The Niaoara River. 

was marched through a wood, and flanked the 
enemy's right ; while that of the American right, 
under Brig. -Gen. Miller, made up of the re- 
mains of the 9th, 11th, 17th, 19th, and 21st regi- 
ments of infantry, took position on the western 
front of the enemy, with orders to force his 
entrenchments between batteries Nos. 2 and 3. 
Such orders were promptly executed by the gallant 
Miller, and in a time remarkably short, three 
batteries of the enemy, two block houses and their 
connecting intrenchments, were captured and de- 
stroyed. 

In producing this result, the column led by Wood, 
Porter and Gibson had their full share of the work. 
After turning the enemy's right, it carried by storm 
a strong block house in rear of battery No. 3 ; 
spiked, in the latter, three 24-pounders, blew up the 
magazine, and then assisted Miller in reducing bat- 
tery No. 2. 

"It was thus," reported Gen. Brown, "that in 
a close action, not exceeding an hour's time, one 
thousand troops of the line, and an equal number of 
New York militia, routed the enemy, and diminished 
his effective force one thousand men. An attack so 
bold in its conception could not be made without 
severe loss ; amounting in the aggregate to 511 men, 
including officers and privates. Among the officers 
killed were the gallant intrepids. Wood and Gib- 
son. 



The Siege of Fort Erie. 83 

Then Oen. Drummond, with the remnant of 
his division, made a hasty retreat to Fort George. 
The enemy's loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners 
captured was upwards of one thousand, officers and 
men. 

Thus were contested the obstinate battles of 
Fort Erie. The sanguinary conflicts at Queenston, 
Chippewa and Lundy's Lane are equally rated in 
history as among the most desperate engagements 
between armed men in the annals of modern war- 
fare. 

The visitor at Buffalo, when viewing its pictur- 
esque water-front, can gaze upon the broad expanse 
of Lake Erie, the turbulent flow of the Niagara, 
and, where lake and river join, can see the ruins of 
Fort Erie ; and, below, the beautiful landscape of 
the Canadian shore for miles in extent. In fact, 
nowhere else in the world, within the distance, are 
Nature's wonders so bountifully displayed ; now^here 
are spots of earth, in western history, more historic, 
than are the borders of the Niagara River. 










o 



c 

'3 

■*-l 

o 
tuo 

G 

'3. 

o 
o 



o 
< 
[I. 

D 

CQ 



> 



The Patriot IVar. 35 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE PATRIOT WAR. 

T 1 riTHIN a few months after the final battle of 
Fort Erie the war was at an end, and there- 
after the angel of peace proclaimed her victories on 
the frontier for a long period — until 1837, when 
the Canadian people were in trouble with an up- 
rising of factious partisans in rebellion against their 
local government. Under their leader, McKenzie, 
the self-styled ''Patriots" congregated in large 
numbers on the American border, and early in the 
winter occupied Navy Island, in the Niagara River, 
which is British soil. There, with the loyalists on 
the opposite Canadian shore, they maintained an 
artillery duel for several weeks. The main casualty 
of the engagement was on the island, where a can- 
non-shot penetrated the head of one man and a 
barrel of beans, causing a wild scattering of brains 
and beans — principally beans. 

The winter of 1837-8 was an open one, there 
being no ice in lake or harbor at Buffalo prior to 
late in January. The little river steamboat Ca?'oline 
had enjoyed a quiet Christmas moored in the harbor, 
when her owner conceived the brilliant idea that 
his boat could "earn her board" plying between 
Fort Schlosser and the rebel camp on Navy Island. 
Accordingly, on the early morn of December 28th 



36 The Niagara River. 

the Caroline, gaily decorated with bunting, and car- 
rying a score or more of curious sight-seers, steamed 
out of the harbor and hied herself down the Niagara 
to Fort Schlosser. During the afternoon the boat 
made two round trips to Navy Island, and then, in 
fancied security, tied up for the night at Schlosser 
dock, with the party curios, including her owner, 
camped in the little cabin below deck. About two 
o'clock in the morning the boat was boarded by a 
party of loyalists from Canada, her sleeping party 
aroused, and, in their night clothes, hustled onto 
the wharf; the boat was cast off, fired, set adrift, 
and in flames she went kiting over the Falls ; carry- 
ing therewith the nether garments of the sight-seers 
from Buffalo, together with an unpaid board-bill. 
One of the curios, a man named Duffee, an Ameri- 
can citizen, who objected to the proceeding, and 
refused to walk ashore, was promptly killed and his 
body thrown onto the wharf. 

Then the pot boiled on the American side : "An 
American vessel cut out of a home port, a citizen 
murdered and the property of a citizen destroyed," 
raised a flurry of indignation all along the border. 
The excitable event became the subject of con- 
siderable argument with the English Government. 
On their part it was claimed that the boat had for- 
feited her neutrality ; had aided the insurgents, in 
conveying to them arms and supplies ; and that 
when arrested on the scene, wherever found, her 



The Patriot War. 37 

seizure was justifiable. Such claim was confirmed 
by the United States on the trial of one of the 
raiders, who subsequently was arrested when visiting 
this side, and indicted for murder, tried and ac- 
quitted. However, the British Government made a 
courteous apology, when the matter was dropped 
and soon forgotten. 



38 The Niagara River. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

GEN. SCOTT AND COL. KIRBY. 

"11 7 HEN occupying Navy Island, the Patriots 
burglarized the State arsenal at Batavia, and 
took therefrom a quantity of war material belonging 
to the State of New York, and conveyed the same 
to the island. 

This event, and the affair of the Caroli?ie, brought 
Gen. Scott of the army and William L. Marcy, 
Governor of the State, to Buffalo. In the latter 
part of January, 1838, the insurgents evacuated 
Navy Island, leaving thereon the property stolen 
from the State of New York. Gov. Marcy 
chartered the steamboat Barcelona to go to the 
island and recover the property, the State guarantee- 
ing safety to the boat in the undertaking. In the 
early morning the little steamer passed down the 
river, landing at Black Rock .to take on a military 
force assigned from Fort Porter. Col. Kirby, the 
Canadian officer of customs, concluded to inter- 
rupt and confiscate the offending boat on her return 
up the river ; he considering her equally as culpable 
as was the Caroline. Opportunely, two armed Cana- 
dian schooners were moored at Waterloo, opposite 
Black Rock, which were Col. Kirby' s means and 
a strong wind up the river his opportunity. About 
midday the armed vessels were anchored in mid- 



Gen. Scot I and Col. Kirby. 39 

stream awaiting the return of the Barcelona. Gen. 
Scott was on the ground and had ordered two 
24-pounders placed on the river bank abreast of the 
belligerent vessels. Then two men rowed out to the 
schooners from the American shore, conveying a mes- 
sage from Gen. Scott to Col. Kirby, stating that 
the Barcelona was an American vessel engaged 
in a lawful undertaking, and that if she was fired 
upon, or otherwise illegally interrupted on her pas- 
sage up the river, that he. Gen. Scott, would sink 
both vessels, with shots from an American battery. 

Both banks of the river were lined with expectant 
and excited people. The cannon were charged and 
the gunners were at their station. A like situation 
was revealed by field glasses to be in order on the 
schooners. All eyes were cast down stream for the 
expectant steamboat. About sundown she was 
sighted stemming the current. Slowly she ap- 
proached, while all hearts throbbed excitedly. 
Finally, the steamer lapped the schooners, yet, not 
a gun was fired, not a funeral note was heard, as up 
the rapids she paddled. Then the vessels weighed 
anchor and dropj^ed into their moorings at Waterloo, 
and the game of l)luff between Col. Kirby and 
(ien. Scott was at an end. They had met before 
— at Chippewa and Lundy's Lane. 



The Original IV est em Steamboat. 41 



•e> 



I 



CHAPTER IX. 

TIIK ORIGINAL WESTERN STEAMBOAT. 

NTO the Niagara River, in 1818, was launched 
the first steamboat known to the western empire. 
There, under the shelter of Squaw Island, was built 
the steamboat Walk-in-ihc- Water, and on August 
25th, following, she started on her first passage over 
the surface of Lake Erie, bound for Erie, Cleveland, 
Sandusky and Detroit. On this course she devel- 
oped a speed of above seven miles per hour, which 
was considered a complete success. 

Thus eighty years ago Lake Erie was navigated 
by a single steam craft. Now, the steam tonnage 
entering the port of Buffalo, during the season of 
lake navigation, is greater than like entries of any 
other port of the world. Such facts illustrate the 
wonderful progress of western civilization and set- 
tlement, the first march of which w^as through the 
river Niagara. 

The first Lake Erie steamboat was built on the 
spot of ground where were constructed three vessels 
of the fleet with which Commodore Perry fought 
and won the naval battle of Lake Erie, September 
10, 18L'). The main portion of the fleet was built 
at Pres(iue Isle, now Erie. The illustration here 
presented is a reproduction of 1816, claimed by the 
original publisher to have been from a sketch of the 
commodore, taken on the spot. 



! ,iiV,i;., ir.'i' 




0- 
r3 



■s. 

Ill 



en 



> 

[I] 



Conclusion. 48 



CONCLUSION. 

Such is the world-renowned Niagara River, and 
such were the historic happenings thereon and 
thereby. Visitors to the Pan-American Exposition 
will have ample facilities to visit its every point. 
All is hallowed ground. Excursion steamers and 
steam yachts ply briskly o'er its navigable waters, 
while steam cars, and cars driven by electricity 
engendered l)y the mighty cataract, whirl over its 
shores from lake to lake. 

The Niagara is a paradise for the angler. A prize 
capture is a lusty bass taken from the swift trans- 
l)arent current. Ye Gods ! 



• • • 



44 The Niagara River, 



BUFFALO. 

Where flaming swords were in anger drew, 
Where Red Jacket paddled his canoe, 
And three Thayers were hanged in open view, 
Was Old-time Buffalo ! 

Where savage life in the main prevailed, 
Where approach was by Indian trail, 
Then rail-trains met the gliding sail, 
Was Progressive Buffalo ! 

Where great lakes lay their tribute down. 
Where miles of handsome homes abound. 
And where its people own the town, 
Is Domestic Buffalo ! 

Where are rural parks and cosy drives, 
W^here shaded lawns in beauty thrive, 
And massive structures point the skies. 
Is Picturesque Buffalo I 

Where Niagara flows a rapid stream, 
Where Nature's power replaces steam. 
And bustling streets are smooth and clean, 
Is Excelsior Buffalo ! 

Let zephyrs blow high or low, 
"Put me off at Buffalo." 






fMmmmmsmmm 




